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Sign the Petition to

President Carlos Mauricio Funes Cartagena

The international scientific community has determined that hawksbill sea
turtles will soon be driven to extinction in the eastern Pacific if
fishing practices causing hawksbill deaths are not eliminated and if
nesting beaches are not protected in Jiquilisco Bay, El Salvador.

We, the undersigned, respectfully request that the Government of El
Salvador immediately take the steps necessary to eliminate illegal and
irresponsible fishing practices in the Jiquilisco Bay, particularly
blast fishing, via the creation of specific regulations for artisanal
and industrial fisheries, and work with communities to increase the
enforcement of existing laws.

We also respectfully request that the Government of El Salvador
ensure that the U.S. Millennium Challenge Corporation abide by its
Environmental and Social Standards established under Executive Order
12114, and in so doing prohibit any development that destroys, impacts
or displaces hawksbill turtles and their habitat in El Salvador.

We urge the U.S. Millennium Challenge Corporation and the Government
of El Salvador to declare the 100 meters from the maximum high-tide
mark landward of hawksbill nesting beaches as “untouchable” protected
areas free from commercial development that would forever destroy one of
the world’s most important hawksbill nesting sites.

Working together we can ensure the safety and survival of these
critically endangered sea turtles, and in doing so, provide a healthy
future for the coastal communities in Jiquilisco Bay, El Salvador.

Signed,

Turtle Island Restoration Network

This petition closed over 1 year ago

How this will help

Endangered hawksbill sea
turtles are being killed in Jiquilisco Bay, El Salvador, by explosives
used in the horrible practice of blast fishing.
Jiquilisco Bay provides essential foraging habitat for juvenile and
adult hawksbills and its beaches are some of the most important nesting
sites for this species in the world.

Fewer than 500 nesting hawksbills remain along the
entire eastern Pacific Ocean, from Mexico to Peru, with over 40% of
these individuals nesting in Jiquilisco Bay in El Salvador. They are one
of the most endangered sea turtle populations in the world.

Despite important steps taken by the Government of El Salvador and local
communities to protect hawksbills, illegal blast fishing and massive
tourist developments threaten their continued existence. The beautiful
and diverse habitat of Jiquilisco Bay is recognized by the United
Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) as a
Biosphere Reserve. The FOMILENIO II project plans to develop the coast
of El Salvador, specifically targeting Jiquilisco Bay for large-scale
tourism, and is spearheaded by U.S. federal funding.

Take action now to halt blast fishing and nesting beach destruction in El Salvador to save endangered hawksbill sea turtles.